Freedom Fighters
by WoNdY Alice
Summary: When Jet and the Freedom Fighters sneak onto a pirate ship, they find a scarred boy as their prisoner. Jet takes in the nameless, speechless boy and teaches him the ways of their group. Little does he know, the boy has many dark secrets which all have to do with the Fire Nation. Jetko / Jet x Zuko. Warnings inside!
1. Prologue

Alice: New story!

Emily: It's my first story in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

Alice: After Office Hours, I posted a poll on which story I should write next and this one won.

Emily: Enjoy!

* * *

Title: Freedom Fighters

Summary: When Jet and the Freedom Fighters sneak onto a pirate ship, they find a scarred boy as their prisoner. Jet takes in the nameless, speechless boy and teaches him the ways of their group. Little does he know, the boy has many dark secrets which all have to do with the Fire Nation.

Pairings: Jet x Zuko. Minor Aang x Katara. Minor Sokka x Toph. One-sided Zuko x Mai. One-sided Azula x Mai.

Warnings: "Off screen rape". Forced prostitution. Implied torture but not graphic. PTSD.

* * *

**Prologue**

This was not the plan. That was the only thing Jet could think as the Fire Nation surrounded him. Their fists were held out as though about to strike him with their firebending, and Jet merely sneered at them. Where were the other Freedom Fighters? Most likely dealing with the soldiers on the ports rather than the actual ship. Even Jet had to admit, it wasn't his finest plan to go on board a Fire Navy ship alone.

When he made the plan, he could only think of how the Fire Navy was increasing in strength and how he wanted to assist in destroying them. The team rushed out to the ports which were quite far from their home, and they quickly managed to sneak on board to the ship. As soon as they realized they were vastly outnumbered, the majority of his team did the smart thing and left the ship.

Jet was far too stubborn and prideful to run when he was so close to his goal. In the end, he supposed it didn't matter because now he was surrounded and unable to complete his mission in blowing up the damn ship.

As the soldiers drew nearer to him, he backed up towards the edge of the ship and glanced behind him. There was another ship right next to the one he was in, and if he was quick enough, he could make jump on it. Smirking at the Fire Nation soldiers, he quickly turned around and leaped off the boat and towards the other one. Letting out a shout, he landed on the empty ship.

He sighed with relief but tensed when he realized the soldiers would not give up that easily. He was a notoriously known rebel leader after all. Figuring he might as well hide, he dashed towards the lower levels of the ship. "Wow," he breathed out as he examined the ship. It was filled with all types of riches that he could only dream of having. _Pirates_, he decided. _This ship must belong to pirates. _

He frowned at his realization. From what he's heard of pirates, they had no sides when it came to the war. They stole from the Fire Nation just as often as they did from the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdoms. "Great," he grumbled only to pause. For a moment, he could have sworn he heard something. Being as silent as possible, he tried to listen again. It was a soft groan as though someone was in pain.

Slowly walking towards the sound, he stopped in front of one of the wooden doors that blocked off the room. It could be one of the pirates, and they might not be pleased to see someone on their ship. Yet something in his gut told him to open the door, and he rarely ignored a gut feeling. Sometimes that would anger Smellerbee, who said he acted on impulse too much. Still he opened the door and blinked at what he saw.

A boy around his age was lying on a bed completely nude. He had long dark hair that nearly reached his soldiers and a bright red scar over one of his eyes. Almost deadly thin, the boy barely seemed conscious. Upon closer inspection, Jet realized the boy was chained down to the bed by his wrists. "Hey," he rushed to him, patting his face. "You with me? Are you okay?"

The boy merely grumbled something incoherent without opening his eyes.

Jet frowned. "I'm going to get you out of here."

Glancing around the room, he tried to find something that could break the chains or a key of some sort. A pair of dual dao swords hung on the wall as decoration, and it made Jet smirk. Those would be strong enough to break the chains. Practically ripping them from the wall, he walked over to the boy and hoped he didn't wake up with the image of Jet swinging a sword at him. Being careful with his aim, he swung the first sword as close to the boy's wrist as possible. It worked, breaking the chain that connected to the cuff. Repeating the action on the other chain, he smiled as it broke just as easily.

Putting the dual dao swords with his own hook swords behind his back, he smiled in pride only to frown. He couldn't carry the boy outside completely naked. Once again, he examined the room and hoped to find some sort of clothing. Luck appeared to be on his side today for on a chair in the corner was a pair of pants and a slightly ripped up shirt. Figuring this was better than nothing, he grabbed the clothes and quickly dressed the boy, who didn't stir once.

He carefully picked up the boy. "Come on," Jet huffed. For a skinny guy, he was much heavier than he looked. As he made his way out of the ship, he thanked his luck that none of the pirates decided to come on board as he stole their captive from them.

* * *

The Freedom Fighters were anxiously waiting for him at the rendezvous point. "Jet!" Smellerbee exclaimed happily. "We thought you were gone when we saw those firebenders surround you!"

"Nah," he casually smiled. "They would have had to work a lot harder to kill me off."

Smellerbee laughed and was about to comment on that only to frown when she noticed the pale boy he was currently carrying. "Who is that?" she questioned rather suspiciously. Jet carefully placed the boy on the soft grass and looked him over once again. As the rest of the Freedom Fighters gathered around, Smellerbee glanced at their leader. "Jet?"

He was too busy staring at the boy. "I have no idea."

* * *

Alice: So who can guess the name of the boy he found.

Emily: Thanks for reading the first chapter of my first Avatar fanfic.

Alice: Did you like it? Hate it? Want more?

Emily: Tell us what you think!


	2. Chapter 1

Alice: New chapter!

Emily: This story will have a total of around 48 chapters, and I finally finished planning them all out.

Alice: Updates should be a little faster now that the first couple of days of school are out of the way.

Emily: Senior year at high school!

Alice: Hope everyone will have a great school year!

Emily: Now here's the story.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Smellerbee watched with uncertainty as Jet placed the boy gently on one of their "beds" in the extra room. The beds were more like a small mattress placed on the floor, but she didn't mind it. It was much better than the alternative if she did not join the Freedom Fighters. Still, she couldn't help but be suspicious of the boy who Jet just found out of nowhere on some random ship. Actually that wasn't true. It was some random_ pirate _ship. She knew just as well as anyone that pirates never took sides, and this boy could be a part of that group.

"Let's give him some space," Jet finally broke the silence and made everyone leave the room with a simple hand gesture. Everyone instantly fled the room with lingering glances over the boy. Everyone except for her. This didn't seem to surprise Jet as he merely smirked at her. "So what's your opinion this time, second in command?"

She blinked in surprise. "I'm second in command?"

"You act like it."

Snorting, she approached the boy's bed and sat down next to him. He was extremely pale and had a bright red scar over his eye. His dark hair nearly reached his shoulders, and she had to admit he could have been handsome. Too bad he was far too skinny and bruised to be considered such a thing. "How do you know we can trust this guy?"

Jet shrugged. "I just do."

"Jet," she hissed. "He was with pirates!"

"So?"

"If someone comes along and offers him money in exchange for our plans, he might accept it! That's what pirates do!" she narrowed her eyes. "They are only after money and don't give a damn about the war in the way that we do."

"Smellerbee," he sounded rather sympathetic, but she continued on anyway.

"We don't know anything about this guy!"

"Yes," he said stubbornly. "We do. See that scar?"

She didn't need to look at it. "Yes."

"That means he's an outcast like us, and outcasts stick together." He stated. When she still stared at him unconvinced, he continued, "We've seen burn victims before. We know what it looks like when the Fire Nation decides to punish people. Tell me his scar is any different from the ones we've seen?"

She could tell him, but she would be lying. After all, she had similar ones on her legs. It didn't ease her suspicion though. While she highly respected her leader and would follow him to the grave, she could acknowledge his flaws unlike other members. That's why she argued with him so often. He lived in a delusional world where everyone with a grievance against the Fire Nation would join his cause. "I'm going to be watching him." She said firmly.

He smirked again. "I know."

"Good." With one last lingering glance at the boy, she left the room.

* * *

_"I am telling you," the elder man warned. "Do not go. They have damaged our ship enough, and we cannot afford to lose anymore."_

_ "I have to! What they did was personal!"_

_ "Pirates are never personal!" the man was becoming angry which scared him slightly. Who was this elder man? How did he know that this man was normally calm? _

_ "Fine!" He lied, not wanting to continue arguing with him. Why not? Did he hate arguments? Did he respect this man too much? Fear him too much? Who was this man? The name was in his mind somewhere, yearning to come out into the open, but he could not remember. _

_ "So you've come back?" a sneering voice that was vastly different from the old man's rang out. "You know it's all of us against one, boy. You can't possibly win!"_

_ "Shut up!" he had snarled, and there was a flash of color. Bright orange and yellows clashed with metal, and frustrated screams were coming from both him and the crew. Fire, he realized, he was controlling fire. Panic built in his chest. He wasn't allowed to do that. He would be punished for it. Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!_

_ "You're such a pretty boy," another man whispered, hands trailing down his body. "Such a cheap, pretty boy. You gonna do what I tell you?"_

_ He shook his head weakly. He wanted to control the fire again. Why couldn't he throw fire into that bastard's face? No, can't call him a bastard. They'll get angry. They'll punish him. He wanted to control the fire. But that wasn't allowed. Control the fire. Don't. Stop. NO! _

_ When the man entered him, he screamed. _

He sat up suddenly, gasping for breath and clenching his fists. As he panted, he noticed a strange sensation on his chest and legs. Glancing down, he frowned when he realized he was put in clothing. Not any strange undergarments or even the feminine garb he was forced to wear but a pair of pants and a shirt. Did his new customer like this type of clothing? That's when he realized his bed was far more comfortable now compared to when he fell asleep. Searching the room, he realized he was not in the ship anymore. His chains were off too. Why?

Shakily standing up, he clutched his aching head and leaned against the wooden wall. He inhaled a large breath and tried to remember the calming techniques his uncle taught him. Power came from the breath, he once said, and a calm firebender was a controlled firebender.

"Hey you're awake!" a deep voice commented, and his gaze instantly snapped to the man who just entered. He was a large man but his face reminded him of a boy's. He couldn't be more than a few years older than him. Perhaps even the same age. His mind registered all of this in seconds, but his body froze in fear. _Control the fire now. They can't hurt you. They're not here. Control the fire now. Burn him before he burns you. Fire. Fire. Fire!_

He started screaming.

* * *

"The Fire Nation officially has Gaipan," Jet announced to the room of Freedom Fighters. The gasps of horror and anger all followed immediately, and Jet nodded in agreement. "We have to do something to get them all out! Gaipan is too close to us, and the Fire Nation could stumble upon our hideout. I've already seem some Fire Nation scum walking around the forest."

"How are we going to get rid of them?" Smellerbee asked, narrowing her eyes at the layout he drew on the table.

"A flood," he said. "We could flood the entire village, and everyone in the Fire Nation would be killed. It'll be quick, efficient, and won't cause us any harm. We just need to find a way to blow up the damn."

Questions and doubt filled Smellerbee's eyes, and Jet instantly knew he would be having a conversation with her after the meeting was over. That is what he respected the most about Smellerbee. No matter what doubts she had with him and his plans, she never openly announced them in front of the other Freedom Fighters. Instead she would confront him alone in order to seek answers and alter his plans. That way he still appeared like a strong leader to the team, and no one would doubt his plans and accidentally sabotage him with said doubts.

"Jet!" a high pitched voice interrupted the meeting. The Duke flew into the room with wide eyes as he stared at the leader. The youngest member of their team started speaking quickly, "The boy woke up!"

Jet's expression brightened. "That's great news!"

"He's fighting Longshot and Pipsqueak!" The Duke instantly countered, and Jet frowned.

Smellerbee cursed, ignoring the fact that there was an eight year old in the room, and gave him a look that clearly said "I told you". He ignored her and rushed out of the room, cutting the meeting short. As he exited the room, he saw the boy jumping from branch to branch, evading Pipsqueak and Longshot, who were chasing after him. Whenever one got too close, the boy would either kick them or punch them in attempts to knock them off the tree.

Jet dashed towards them by grabbing one of the zip lines to that specific tree and landed right by Pipsqueak, who tried to grab the boy. The boy quickly dodged his hand and kicked his stomach making Pipsqueak gasp with pain. "Longshot! Pipsqueak!" Jet shouted, distracting the two. "I got this!"

The two hesitantly nodded and stepped away from the boy, making sure to jump onto a platform of wood that the Freedom Fighters built. Jet stared at the boy, who was trembling and glaring at him. His eyes were almost golden, and he was only slightly smaller than Jet. "Hey," he offered a lopsided grin. "How are you?"

He had to dodge a punch for that. The boy narrowed his eyes and held up his fists in a rather strange fashion. Not as though he was going to throw a punch but… His thoughts were interrupted when a kick was hurled his way, and he quickly ducked and rolled over, thankfully not falling off the tree. "My name is Jet."

The boy looked at him as though saying "I don't care", but Jet continued anyway. "We're the Freedom Fighters, a group dedicated to defeating the Fire Nation in this war." He grabbed the fist before it could hit him, and it stung his palm just a bit. Instantly letting go of the boy, he kept saying, "I'm the leader of this group. I found you on a pirate ship, and I saved you."

The boy tensed up but did not aim to hurt him. Jet nodded and stepped closer. "I have food, if you want." The boy raised an eyebrow and stared at his empty hands. Jet glanced at Pipsqueak. "You have any food on you?" Pipsqueak and Sneers were always the ones who carried food around in their pockets, and he hoped this was one of those times. If not, he would need to either find Sneers or some food from their storage. That would take too long, and the boy would most likely run off.

Pipsqueak nodded and threw him a piece of bread. Jet caught it and presented it to the boy, who stared at it hesitantly. "We're not going hurt you like they did. We saved you because we know what it's like to be hurt. You can trust us."

The boy didn't believe the last sentence, but he still eyed the food hungrily. Carefully and slowly approaching him, Jet handed him the piece of bread. The boy carefully grabbed it and examined it before devouring it. It was rather messy, and it made Jet wonder when the boy was last fed. The boy tensed up, as though bracing himself for something but blinked in surprise when nothing happened. His stare went back to Jet, and his eyes were blown wide with shock and something Jet could not identify. "We're your friends," Jet whispered, holding out his hand to the boy.

He stared at it for a long moment, as though confused. By the action or by the words, Jet didn't know. Either way, he would not take back his hand until the boy did something. After a long moment, the boy's eyes met his again. There was no trust in them, but determination was present. Perhaps the trust would come later.

Slowly the pale boy grasped his hand, and his determination morphed into fear. It was an expression that clearly read "I hope I don't regret this."

Jet promised himself that he would make sure the boy wouldn't.

* * *

Alice: Thanks for reading!

Emily: I hope you liked it.

Alice: Enjoy school now that it has started!

Emily: For all of you not in school, have a good year!

Alice: Happy Saturday!


	3. Chapter 2

Alice: New chapter!

Emily: Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Alice: Here's the next chapter! I did say I would be able to update sooner.

Emily: Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The rebels watched as the boy devoured their entire food selection in mere seconds. Gulfing down any sort of substance he could, the boy didn't even realize he was being watched. That, or he simply didn't care. Normally Jet would be amused at the sight of seeing someone eat so much like with Pipsqueak or Sneers. This time, however, was completely different because he knew the boy was only eating so much due to the starvation he faced at the hands of the pirates. Anyone could tell he was underfed with his skinny body.

Jet's eyes travelled down the boy from his feet to his head, noting how there seemed to be bruises almost everywhere. His neck was littered with dark purple and red marks, and some started forming on his wrists where the cuffs were recently ripped off. In the back of his mind, Jet briefly recalled how the boy might have had some scratches and marks on his legs and chest, but he was too focused on assisting the boy in escaping than his physical state.

Not only did the bruises stick out on the pale boy, but his posture did as well. Jet was raised in a lower class family, and he had no manners whatsoever in terms of proper etiquette. Still, he recognized the boy's posture and mannerisms from the ways the richer boys in his old village used to eat. Even as he engulfed everything in sight, the boy still managed to uphold a certain elegance to it which might be another reason why the rebels were staring at him with surprise. None of them understood table manners either.

"So what's your name anyway?" Sneers asked. The boy paused, his food midway to his mouth, and stared at him. Sneers was a chubby boy with brown hair that just tipped the top of his shoulders. If he felt he was being examined, Sneers expressed no nervousness. He merely stared at the scarred boy, waiting for his answer. The boy opened his mouth but quickly closed it. Jet frowned. He recognized fear when he saw it.

Smellerbee was about to comment on the fact, most likely some sort of cruel jab, but Jet quickly spoke before she could get any word in. "Don't worry," he said smoothly. "Longshot's a mute too."

Laughter replaced the previous tension, and the boy's tense shoulders slacked instantly. Longshot curiously stared at him but otherwise did not react to the joke. As chatter filled the table, the boy went back to eating. Jet briefly wondered if that was a good idea. When they found The Duke, he had not eaten for a long time. After they fed him, The Duke vomited the food he consumed since he had not adjusted to eating that much.

"Jet," Smellerbee hissed, careful to make sure no one could hear her. "He won't even give his name."

"And I'm sure Smellerbee is your real name," Jet deadpanned.

Flushing, Smellerbee narrowed her eyes. "Why are you so defensive about this?"

"Why are you so offensive about this?" he countered.

"I want to protect my family," she stubbornly stated. "If he's a threat, I don't want to look back and regret not stopping him when we could."

"I already promised to protect him," Jet's tone was firm and left no questioning. "I'm not about to go back on it."

Outright glaring at him, Smellerbee shot up from the table and stormed out. This quieted some of the rebels, but they instantly went back to talking. All except the boy, who stared at him with a searching expression as though he knew what they found about and couldn't understand why. Jet just smiled and slid next to him. "Want more food?"

At his curt nod, Jet piled more meat onto his plate.

* * *

"This would be your room," Jet pulled back the thick green curtain for the boy. It was one of the few rooms with an actual bed in it, and Jet figured the boy deserved it after going through whatever the pirates did to him. He had originally thought the boy would be happy at having his own bed in his own room, but he realized he was wrong the moment the boy hurled himself against the wooden wall behind him and let out a very silent scream. "Hey!" Jet exclaimed, rushing towards him, but the boy instantly punched him the moment he came to close.

Knocking Jet down, the rebel had to quickly think about what was bothering him. His cheek stung from the hit, but his mind managed to distract himself by remembering how the boy was chained down to the bed in the pirate's ship. Of course! How could he have been so foolish? The boy would clearly be scared of beds if he wasn't allowed to leave one! Rushing to the bed, Jet ripped off the blankets and pillows and set them down neatly on the side of the room. He dashed back to the boy but stayed a healthy distance away just in case he went violent again.

"I'm sorry!" he blurted out. The boy was sitting with his arms around his knees which were against his chest. His hands were covering his ears, and he was shaking. Slowly reaching out to the pale hand, Jet softly gripped his forearm, away from the bruises, and gently pulled it away from his ear. "Hey," he whispered softly, and the boy shakily glanced up at him. "You don't have to sleep on that if you don't want to. You're away from those people."

The boy stared at him for what seemed like hours, and so many different expressions passed on his face that Jet could barely decipher them. With a nod, the boy stood up and pushed Jet's hands away as though the touch burned him. Then again, that might have been the way he received that scar. As the boy sat down on the blankets Jet placed on the floor, he sighed in pure relief.

Jet watched him carefully with clear pity shining in his eyes. What had those pirates done to that boy? Why did the boy not want to make a noise even when screaming? "I'll be in the next room," Jet stated. "If you need anything…"

The boy was already asleep though.

Jet lingered in that spot for a moment, unsure of what to do, before exiting the room and walking to his own room next door. Tomorrow, he decided, would be a better day. He could deal with what happened to the boy tomorrow. Sneers's question popped into his mind, and he realized he would eventually have to call the boy something other than "the boy". Perhaps tomorrow he could also ask what his name was.

Yes. Tomorrow would be better.

* * *

Alice: Thanks for reading. This chapter is a little short, but the next one should be longer.

Emily: Please let us know what you thought! Should I keep writing this story?

Alice: In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your night or day depending on where you are.


	4. Chapter 3

Alice: New chapter!

Emily: I hope you all like it.

Alice: This one will be focused more on Zuko than Jet.

Emily: It will kind of be from his perspective.

Alice: It will include what Jet thinks as well though.

Emily: With that in mind, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

When his eyes slowly opened, it took him almost a full minute to remember where he was and why. The first thing that reminded him that he had escaped was the hard floor beneath him. That lead to him pondering why he was on the floor, remembering that guy put them there, and what that guy did for him. Jet was his name, he remembered. It was a strange name, but he figured it was an Earth Kingdom's name. Slowly sitting up, he rubbed his eye and yawned. In a way, it felt reassuring to wake up with no clue of what would happen. The pirate ship had a routine with him, and it frightened him terribly.

That fear is what transformed him into who he was.

Before the pirates, he was arrogant and impulsive. He was angry and loud. Whenever his uncle would give him advice, he'd promptly ignore it, and it precisely that which made him end up with the pirates. Now if his uncle told him something, he would immediately follow it without question. It is also what he tried to do with previous statements his uncle had given him.

That was the only way he managed to keep himself sane.

Sitting cross legged on the floor, he placed his hands on his knees and breathed in deeply. His uncle always told him fire was in the breath, so he focused on his breathing whenever he could. Even on that old bed, he tried his best to distract himself by inhaling deeply. It calmed him.

Once he was finished taking meditating breaths, he stood up and stretched for the first time in what felt like years. He leaned back and managed to brush the wood with his fingers. Testing this newfound flexibility, he leaped from his feet back onto his hands, swung his legs forward, and landed on them once again. A smile almost touched his lips when he realized what he did. As a kid, his sister always beat him in acrobatics, but his life as a pirate made him learn to… stretch his body more to suit the needs of his customers.

A shudder ran through his body at the memory, and he quickly tried a forward handstand to erase the memory. He continued the flips and even added some punches and kicks in between. When he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was firebending again and that his uncle was praising him for learning such control over the element.

"Nice."

He promptly fell onto the floor and snapped his head up. Jet was standing in the doorway, staring at him with a smirk. Scowling, he stood up and stared down the leader of wherever he was. Jet's smirk dissolved into a smile. "You okay?" He nodded in reply. "You sure?" He nodded again. The smile turned sympathetic. "Still not talking?"

He wanted to protest, but instead remained silent. If he so much as opened his mouth with the intent of speaking, he would vividly remember how that was dealt with when the pirates owned him. _No one likes a whore with a talkative tongue. You're lucky we don't rip it out of you._ They would never rip it out. No, they needed his tongue for much more disgusting reasons. Why waste it when it could only profit them? They were empty taunts, but the pain associated of ripping out a tongue would be the only true part.

"It's fine," Jet distracted him. "Were you a warrior?"

He shrugged. Technically he wasn't, but he was trained enough to be one.

"Alright." Jet nodded. "Haru?"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and Jet quickly explained, "I can't keep calling you boy forever. You have a name. I just need to guess it."

Holding back a snort, he nodded his head knowing Jet would never be able to guess his true name especially if he was only providing Earth Kingdom names.

"Mushi?" he guessed again and laughed at the scowl the boy gave him. "Alright. Chin? Pong? Pao? Bao?" As the boy continued shaking his head, Jet groaned in aggravation. How many other names in the Earth Kingdom were there? "Let's see," he sighed. "Lee?"

Judging by the boy's pondering face, it wasn't his real name, but it didn't disgust him like the other names appeared to. Finally the boy nodded, and Jet beamed. "That isn't your real name."

Lee shook his head, and Jet shrugged. Rarely anyone in the Freedom Fighters actually went by their real names anymore. In fact, he probably didn't even know the real names of his closest companions, who all preferred the fake names. When he asked them about it, they all claimed, though with different wording, changing their name was their way to escape their past. Their dead parents named them, and their dead peers referred to them by their real name. A new title meant leaving those memories behind, and for the majority of his team, that was easier than facing it.

Besides real names meant nothing in war.

"I'll call you that anyway," he smiled. "You won't be alone with the whole "don't call me by my real name" thing."

Lee rolled his eyes as though claiming he already knew that. Or perhaps he was just calling Jet stupid. Either way, Jet put his arm around his shoulder as a friendly gesture. Ignoring the small flinch Lee gave, Jet directed him out of his room and began ranting about how he was worried he would miss breakfast. "Lee" barely paid attention and instead allowed his eyes to wander around the treehouses he barely noticed yesterday. Truly it was beautiful, and he could almost appreciate how Jet allowed him to live here so easily. Of course, he couldn't stay here forever, but he would not hate remaining here if only for a bit.

When he turned his gaze to Jet, he wondered why a boy his age would feel the need to start a group. He knew Jet already mentioned something about what this group was for, but his mind was so stressed that he did not pay attention to Jet until the boy physically grabbed him during the fight. That's when he began to truly listen.

Although the group felt safe enough, something in his gut told him he should have listened when Jet told him the purpose of the group.

* * *

"I don't trust him." Longshot turned towards Smellerbee, who was eyeing the pale boy with distaste. True, he had his own opinions of the boy, but they were nowhere near as harsh as Smellerbee's. As he gazed at her, she began squirming and bit her bottom lip in frustration. "I mean," she continued ranting, "we don't know where he came from! He could be a danger to this place."

He raised an eyebrow, and Smellerbee translated that as "that is irrelevant because everyone here starts off exactly like that". Pouting, which is something she rarely did, she continued her argument. "We know where everyone else here came from: a broken family due to the Fire Nation. But him? Jet just found him on some pirate ship, and it's only speculation that the scar came from a firebender."

"How about instead of making judgments about a boy with a scarred past and face, you get to know him and then judge him?" he stated. Her mouth dropped open, and he merely stood up and walked away. He only talked when he needed to, and she definitely needed to hear those words. Perhaps it might change her perspective on the boy.

Longshot paused for a moment, staring at the wooden ground. Yes, he partially did not trust the boy, but at the same time he understood him. He too carried scars although not physical ones. In order to heal, the boy needed companionship, and Longshot did not want to be the one who denied him that.

Hopefully Smellerbee would eventually understand that.

* * *

Breakfast was a large affair, and Jet thought perhaps it was due to the fact that the curiosity about Lee did not die down quite yet. People still wanted to know where he came from and how he got the scar on his face. Although Jet prayed no one would ask about that, he had a feeling someone would. Not out of cruelty but rather stupidity. The Freedom Fighters were always willing to show off scars to other members, but the difference was that those scars were from fighting the Fire Nation as a rebel. Lee clearly did not receive that scar from fighting.

Although the kid was a pretty good fighter. If he ever felt comfortable enough, Jet would take him out on some of the missions. "Alright!" he stood up, deciding to make his announcement now. Lee was sitting next to him and shoving food into his mouth like it would disappear at any moment. Even as Jet spoke, he still continued to chew on his meal. "I would like to formally introduce you all to our new member Lee!"

The clapping started immediately, and there were some cheers and whistles. Lee blushed at all the attention directed at him and turned to Jet, who winked jokingly at him. Rolling his eyes, Lee went back to his meal without another thought to the applause. "Let's eat!" Jet shouted, and he instantly sat down as they cheered again. Smirking at Lee, he leaned in and whispered. "Although I don't think I have to tell you that."

Lee scoffed and shook his head, piling more food onto his plate. It still amazing Jet how he could eat so much and not get sick especially since he probably was starved beforehand. "Hey!" Pipsqueak exclaimed. "Lee!"

Lee turned to him, food in his hands, and raised an eyebrow in response. Pipsqueak smiled at him and asked, "Where did you get your scar?"

Jet froze as did Lee, who dropped his food back onto his plate.

He couldn't stop his hands from shaking nor could he stop the color leaving his face. As he stared at the large boy with fearful eyes, his vision began to blur. _You will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher. _

_Fire_, he thought rapidly.

_Too much fire. _

_ Hurts. Burns. _

_ Stop it! Stop it! _

_FATHER!_

"Lee?" Jet's voice broke through, and his vison cleared. He was breathing heavily, and he slowly turned the boy who saved him. Gulping, he gave him a weak smile and shakily turned his attention back to the bigger boy. What was his name again? He couldn't remember. He only really knew Jet's name.

The larger boy stared at him although not with pity which he would have disliked immensely. Instead it was more understanding and soft. For some reason, it reminded him of his mother which pained him. "The Fire Nation right?" he said, and it was then he noticed everyone around the table grew quiet. They were listening to the conversation. "Don't worry. I get it." Lifting up his shirt, the large boy revealed a rather nasty scar on his side. A scar that had almost the exact coloring of his own scar.

He was burned. Like him. His lips parted only slightly, and he stared at the mark in horror. The larger boy smiled sympathetically. "The Fire Nation gave this to me after they raided my village. I get it."

"Hey Lee!" Jet interrupted, giving the bigger boy a _look_. Turning to him, Jet smiled and asked, "want to see something cool?"

Hesitantly he nodded, allowing Jet to take his hand and lead him away from the table. Briefly he overheard some whispering from the rest of the group, but nothing negative. Jet walked around the tree and went to the zip line, smiling at him. "Want to come with me or travel alone?"

He shrugged, expressing how he didn't really care. Jet still appeared rather skeptical though. "It involves some touching."

He made a face but still walked over to Jet, who awkwardly wrapped his arm around his waist. Unable to help it, he flinched but shook his head when Jet started to pull away. If he was going to heal, he needed to learn to not flinch away at every hand that came near him. And he wanted to heal. He couldn't return home a broken mess. It would shame his family, and it was the last thing he wanted to do.

Suddenly his feet were off the ground, and he was gasping, flying through the air. So far, he still hadn't adjusted to the zip lines, and he preferred using the ladders and bridges to it. When they finally landed on the ground, his hair was a mess and his eyes were wide. Jet laughed and released him from his hold. "You'll get used to it," he promised.

_I won't be here long enough for that_, he thought but did not say it out loud. Not that he could if he wanted to. He still froze up every time he even thought of speaking. Still, he followed Jet up some of the wooden stairs that circled around the tree before finally reaching the top. What he saw made him gasp. Normally he never appreciated such views, but after being trapped on a bed for who-knows-how-long, he found the sight of a leaf beautiful.

They were on the highest tree in the forest judging by the looks of it. It overlooked all the trees, and it even showed some bodies of water in the far distance. There was a slight breeze that calmed him for some reason, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and just breathe in the air. "Like it, huh?" Jet teased, and he nodded. Jet stared at him for a moment before speaking, "I'm sorry about Pipsqueak. He's not exactly bright."

He assumed Pipsqueak was the one who asked about his scar. Instead of becoming angry, like he would have in the past, he shrugged.

"It wasn't okay," Jet reaffirmed, "and I'll talk to him about it later."

Nodding, he turned back to the view, and Jet watched him. "The Fire Nation killed my parents," he confessed. "I was only eight years old. I had to watch as they burned down the only place I knew. I changed that day. I decided to never be the victim again, and I formed the Freedom Fighters. Everyone here has lost something because of the Fire Nation, and now we're trying to stop them once and for all."

Jet glanced at the boy who was staring at him in horror. Probably due to the story of how he lost his parents. Smiling softly at Lee, he earnestly told him, "You will always have a place here even if you don't want to go out on missions against the Fire Nation like we do. You're a good fighter though, so if you want to, you can."

Lee's hands began to shake, and Jet slowly reached out and took one. "We'll take care of you, Lee."

Smiling to himself, Jet directed his gaze back to the forest where he sighed contently. Judging by Lee's expressions, he was horrified at what the Fire Nation has done to the both of them and will want to join them. Perhaps he can become family as well like the other Freedom Fighters. He was right when he thought today would be a better day.

All the while, Jet had no idea he was holding the hand of the Fire Nation prince, whose only thoughts were of terror and escape from him.

* * *

Alice: Hope you guys liked it!

Emily: This story is also on archieve of our own.

Alice: So if you see it, don't worry. It's me who's publishing it.

Emily: Have a nice day!


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